International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

The movement consists of several distinct organizations that are legally independent from each other, but are united within the movement through common basic principles, objectives, symbols, statutes and governing organisations. The movement's parts are:

Irish Red Cross

The Irish Red Cross Society was formally established by Nurse Elizabeth O'Herrin of Dublin City Hospital on 1 July 1939 under the terms of the Red Cross Act 1938. Its constitution is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 (the Geneva Conventions), to which Ireland is a party, Acts of the Oireachtas and relevant provisions of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The society has been supported by the Irish Department of Defence and it receives €739,000 p.a. from them. In addition to that, the Department of Defence gives €130,000 annually to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In the past few years the organisation has gone through significant management and operational changes. In 2011 a new Secretary General was appointed together with a new senior management team.

Formerly the Irish White Cross had worked in the Irish Free State in 1921–28.

The society is organised on a voluntary basis. In Ireland, its activities include mountain rescue, first aid education of the public, the provision of first aid and ambulance services at public events, as well as other community services including therapeutic hand care for the elderly and training of carers. Outside Ireland, the society provides relief and humanitarian services in response to natural disasters and in regions of conflict.

Red Cross Youth

The Red Cross Youth is a youth organisation for adolescents and young members interested in the organization.

Singapore

In Singapore, Red Cross Youth (RCY) is a Uniformed Group for Primary School and Secondary School students. It has a membership of about 1500 Links (Primary School Students) and about 2500 Cadets (Secondary School Students) as of January 2015. There is also a non-uniformed wing - the RCY Chapters. There are currently 41 Link Units, 43 Cadet Units and 10 Chapter Units. RCY is one of the active divisions in the Singapore Red Cross. It also finances its own operations and activities.

The Red Cross Youth was formed in 1952, with Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) having its first cadet unit. The Red Cross runs school-based youth programmes and is a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) recognized by the Ministry of Education as an avenue for Character and Citizenship Education in Singapore schools. The Red Cross Youth has two programmes – one for the Primary School children (Link Programme) and another for Secondary School youths (Cadet Programme). The organization of youth activities under this approach has produced good results with both the Link units and Cadet Units, enthusiastically pursuing a series of activities ranging from social/recreational to community programmes.

Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet at right angles.

The cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and has been used by many religions, most notably Christianity. It may be seen as a division of the world into four elements (Chevalier, 1997) or cardinal points, or alternately as the union of the concepts of divinity, the vertical line, and the world, the horizontal line (Koch, 1955).

Etymology

The word cross comes ultimately from Latin crux, a Roman torture device used for crucifixion, via Old Irish cros. The word was introduced to English in the 10th century as the term for the instrument of the torturous execution of Jesus as described in the New Testament, gradually replacing the earlier word rood. Crux is possibly derived from Phoenician. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia cross does not come from crux but form the Latin curio, "to torment".

Irish

Irish may refer to :

See also